New correction factors based on seasonal variability of outdoor temperature for estimating annual radon concentrations in UK

Z. Daraktchieva*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Indoor radon concentrations generally vary with season. Radon gas enters buildings from beneath due to a small air pressure difference between the inside of a house and outdoors. This underpressure which draws soil gas including radon into the house depends on the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures. The variation in a typical house in UK showed that the mean indoor radon concentration reaches a maximum in January and a minimum in July. Sine functions were used to model the indoor radon data and monthly average outdoor temperatures, covering the period between 2005 and 2014. The analysis showed a strong negative correlation between the modelled indoor radon data and outdoor temperature. This correl ation was used to calculate new correction factors that could be used for estimation of annual radon concentration in UK homes. The comparison between the results obtained with the new correction factors and the previously published correction factors showed that the new correction factors perform consistently better on the selected data sets.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberncw270
Pages (from-to)65-74
Number of pages10
JournalRadiation Protection Dosimetry
Volume175
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2017

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